Three Little Pigs plans new ‘meat-ing’ space, expanded lunch menu

The next stop for Petworth’s Three Little Pigs is actually just one flight up.

The butchery and charcuterie shop is building out an event space on the second floor of its shop at 5111 Georgia Ave. NW to host more butchery and other cooking classes, as well as host private events.

The new space will be called TLP Upstairs and is part of a larger project that will also expand the shop’s kitchen space, said co-owner Jason Story.

“I did several butchery classes with Living Social this winter, and we had 40-50 people there,” he said. “That kind of stuck in my head, that we had no space to do that kind of thing. And we have quite a few customers asking to do rehearsals, or little bachelor parties and other meetings, but we can’t do that in our shop, either because it’s too small or we can’t close up for a private event.”

Story and his wife and co-owner, Carolina, have launched a Kickstarter to help fund the project and are hoping to raise $15,000 by Aug. 20. They’re moving ahead with the renovations anyway, but say the crowdfunding will allow them to outfit the space more completely sooner rather than later.

Although it will be only for programmed events, ultimately, the space could be part of the shop’s transition into having more seating, getting a license to sell wine, and beyond.

“We’re also thinking ahead. Right now there’s a huge overhaul going on on Georgia Avenue,” Story said. “We need to be able to have a space, whether it’s for seating for lunch, or eventually a lounge where people have charcuterie and get a glass of wine. We need a place where people can gather, and as the neighborhood changes, the types of gatherings will probably change too.”

The 1,000-square-foot upstairs space will also include a separated conference room and a prep area. Downstairs, the expanded kitchen will bring another Three Little Pigs development: more lunch!

The lunch menu will be be going from three or four sandwiches daily to more than 15, including an Italian sub, a “Fat James,” (ham and cheese), and a grilled cheese with double-cut, house-made bacon, Zingerman’s pimento cheese and heirloom tomato jam.

In addition to adding the physical space, Story wants the expansion to give Three Little Pigs’ team of chefs more creative space.

“We basically make a lot of cured meats. But we have these chefs with nice degrees from fancy schools, and I don’t want to exhaust their interest in what we do,” Story said. “We wanted a platform where they could work on something they’re interested in.”